At #UFC187 the Undisputed Light Heavyweight Champ Will Arise and Here's Why

View image | gettyimages.com

It was three weeks ago today; reports were out that Jon Jones was involved in a car accident involving a pregnant woman and that he could be scratched from his title fight with Anthony Johnson. MMA media swarmed to try and get any information they could on the P4P best fighter in the world, and hour by hour more details emerged from the terrible incident that resulted in Jones being cut from the UFC and having his belt stripped from him.

The cloud of the Jon Jones controversy has now passed, and the MMA world has moved on. This Saturday, Anthony Johnson takes on new opponent Daniel Cormier to become the new Undisputed UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. You may ask, undisputed? Isn't Jones really the champ? Aren't we all just kidding ourselves by not claiming this title is the Interim Champion? The answer should be a resounding no. Here's why:

First, we need to look at exactly what the UFC is, and what it means to be a professional mixed martial artist. Like in any sport, the UFC consists of professional athletes that conduct themselves in a professional matter. Without a doubt there are highly-skilled people in this world that could succeed at a high level in professional sports, but nobody knows their names. This is because these individuals are not professionals. In pro sports, it takes more than just being exceptional at your craft, it's about making the life decisions to keep you in the position to partake in the privilege of competing at the highest level.

When we watch pro sports, are we watching the 100% best athletes in the world? The answer is no. We are watching the athletes that have put themselves in the position to be considered "the best in the world". They have done what it takes on and off the court, field, ring, and octagon to compete against others who have also done the same.

Jon Jones may very well be the best fighter in the world, but he is not a professional.

Anthony Johnson and Daniel Cormier have both proven themselves to be the two best pro Light Heavyweight fighters in the world, and that's why on Saturday when the new champ is belted, there should be no questions about Jon Jones. Although there will be people like Chael Sonnen who claim that only a punk would take Jones' belt, they are not looking at what it is to be a champion. Could there be a man out there in prison that could beat Floyd Mayweather? Certainly. But that guy won't get the opportunity because he is not a professional, and that's what separates athletes from pro athletes.

Jon Jones could come back some day and once again become what we MMA fans consider to be "the best in the world", but until that day, the discussions about him as a fighter need to end. The winner of Johnson vs. Cormier will be the undisputed champ, no questions asked.

Reddit discussion below: